Last of the Navajo Code Talkers dies this week — end of an era

Chester Nez, of Albuquerque, N.M., died on Wednesday from kidney failure. He was the last of an elite and select group of Navajos who used thier ancient spoken language as a code to help Marines defeat the Japanese in World War Ii. Back then, codes were the thing — troops needed a way to talk to each other and mostly, it was over the radio. The bad guys could listen in and if they knew what you were saying, well, not good.

That’s how the US won at Midway (along with some luck) and that’s why the capture of U-505 70 years ago was such a big deal. It helped the Allies break the Engima code. British had seized a machine earlier but the US’ capture of the sub helped.

The code was created by the two dozen or so Native Americans at a time when discrimination was common in the military. From the CNN story:

He was a teenager when he was recruited in 1942 and assigned with the other code talkers to the Marine Corps’ 382nd Platoon at Camp Pendleton.

Together, they created a code, including developing a dictionary.

Military authorities chose Navajo as a code language because its syntax and tonal qualities were almost impossible for a non-Navajo to learn, and it had no written form. The ranks of the Navajo code talkers swelled to more than 300 by the end of the war in 1945.

The code talkers were forbidden from telling anyone about it — not their fellow Marines, not their families — until their work was declassified in 1968. The original 29 were presented with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2001 by President George W. Bush.

A few years ago, a movie with Nick Cage was made that was based upon their exploits. By no means is it the definitive piece and if you can find video clips of the real Navajos talking, that’s better. the NPR story referenced first has audio from a few code talkers before their deaths. But here is a YouTube video that gives a sense of what things were.

Author: Andy Kravetz

Andy Kravetz has spent most of the past 16 years covering the area's legal system as well as the military. in that time, he's crawled in the mud, flown in transport planes, and written about a man prosecuted for terrorism. This blog will reflect all those interests and then some.
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